Each night, Eye on Basketball brings you what you need to know about the games of the NBA. From great performances to terrible clock management the report card evaluates and eviscerates the good, the bad, and the ugly from the night that was.

Jeremy Lin

No late-game heroics from the Knicks guard this time around, but he did dish out a career-high 13 assists, getting into the lane at will against Sacramento's perimeter defense. New York cruised to a 100-85 victory in front of the home crowd, and Lin's ball distribution helped New York land seven players in double figures. All five Knicks starters finished +18 or better. Dominant. Seven straight wins for the Knicks, who pulled back to .500 for the first time in a month.

The Timberwolves are flirting with .500, so they should handle a team as bad as the Bobcats at home with ease. But this is still the first season on the upswing for Minnesota and a good solid thumping can't always be assumed. Kevin Love put up an absurd 30 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal night on 11-21 shooting. That's how you pound a poor team into submission. Don't look now, but Charlotte has now lost 16 straight; the next longest streak in the league is 7.

Portland might have needed a win as badly as any team in the league, given its recent poor play and the loss of forward LaMarcus Aldridge to injury. Winning in the Bay Area and winning close games have both been bugaboos for the Blazers, but they pulled out a late win over the Warriors thanks to solid team rebounding and a late 3-pointer by Jamal Crawford. Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby were key energy providers and the Crawford three helped make up for Portland's top-3 guards combining to shoot 13-for-40 on the night.

Nate Robinson gives and Nate Robinson taketh away. With star guard Monta Ellis pinned to the bench late in the game, apparently due to illness, Warriors coach Mark Jackson effectively turned the game over to Robinson, who finished with 21 points in 21 minutes. Unfortunately, 4 turnovers and some poor shot selection on key possessions down the stretch contributed to the Warriors scoring just 37 second-half points, and Robinson bumbled the ball on the game's final possession. Endless excitement but ultimately unfulfilling. Story of his NBA career.

One night after torching Portland from absolutely everywhere, shooting an unconscious 60 percent for the game as a team, the Wizards fell back to Earth against the Clippers, shooting just 5-for-22 from deep while getting killed on the glass. All five L.A. starters hit double figures, as did Mo Williams, and this one ended in an 18-point rout.

The West's top team can't be happy with the slowest of slow starts, as they scored just 13 points in the first quarter at Houston, digging themselves a 16-point hole in the first frame. The Thunder charged back hard and probably should have won this one, but neither Kevin Durant (33 points) or Russell Westbrook (26 points) really found their strokes from deep. Unusual late-game shortcomings from both All-Stars added salt to the wound.

The Thunder bought out guard Nate Robinson before the season mainly because they had two solid point guards already with a rookie waiting as a third guy. Robinson wanted playing time and he wasn't going to get it. So he found a home with the Warriors and has fit in well.

Saturday night against the Thunder, Robinson definitely made some noise against a former team. First, he hit a 50-foot halfcourt shot. Then, he basically completely destroyed the lower half of the rookie the Thunder wanted to play instead of him.

Robinson said he understood the Thunder's position and claimed there were no hard feelings about it, but his little staredown of the Thunder bench after the halfcourt shot might suggest differently. Or it was just Nate Robinson being Nate Robinson.

But then again, the Thunder won 120-109 and Robinson finished with nine points on nine shots, which included a wild airball in the fourth quarter. Robinson's a microwave that can warm up and pour in points in a hurry, but he's always been a player that possessed more style than actual subtance. Still, the style in these two cases were pretty stylish.

Barron, 30, went to training camp with the Portland Trail Blazers but was released after the team signed free agent big men Kurt Thomas and Craig Smith. Barron has played five seasons in the NBA, including stops with the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and the Blazers. Barron is a lithe 7-footer with a limited offensive game. His career averages: 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 110 appearances.

The NBA's diminutive dunk champion has found a new home in Northern California.

The Contra Costa Times reported on Tuesday that 5-foot-9 guard Nate Robinson, a 3-time winner of the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest, is set to sign with the Golden State Warriors this week. Robinson reportedly could join coach Mark Jackson's team in time for a Friday night game against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Update: InsideHoops.com reports that the Warriors officially announced the signing on Wednesday, noting that Robinson will wear jersey No. 2 and will be available for the Lakers game on Friday. Contract terms were not released.

An explosive talent who brings athleticism and energy off the bench, Robinson, 27, has seen his career take an interesting swerve over the last year. He was traded by the Boston Celtics to the Thunder at last year's trade deadline, but barely played after the trade. Back in June, Robinson was cited for public urination and, during the lockout, he asked Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll if he could try out for the NFL team. To make matters worse, former Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal called out Robinson in his recent autobiography for his antics and obsession with Twitter.

Golden State isn't exactly lacking in perimeter talent, either, but Robinson will definitely be able to find minutes in a reserve role. The Warriors currently have new aquisition Brandon Rush and rookies Klay Thompson and Ish Smith behind starters Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. Robinson likely plugs in as the fourth guard then, assuming everyone is healthy. He could even step into the starting point guard role if Curry is sidelined due to injury by continuing ankle problems.

Rajon Rondo held a charity basketball game on Saturday night, the first time he and Kendrick Perkins had shared a floor since Perkins' trade. Then that night, they went out to have a good time. But the night ended with someone taking a swing at Rondo. From the Lowell Sun:

Officers working details and patrolmen assigned downtown were already at Brian's Ivy Hall, 74 Merrimack St., yesterday about 1:45 a.m., as a packed event featuring Rondo began to empty out.

Officer Michael Kandrotas noticed a scuffle, and learned that someone "took a fighting stance and threw a punch" at the Celtics all-star and his entourage, which included fellow NBA players Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, former Celtic Nate Robinson and Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Police and Kevin Hayhurst, co-owner of Brian's Ivy Hall, said members of Rondo's entourage wrestled Valarezo to the ground.

A police report indicates Valarezo continued to resist when officers arrived, but was soon arrested and led from the building.

Hayhurst was unsure what prompted the scuffle. But he said Rondo was "unpersonable" and "disrespectful toward patrons."

Rondo? Unpersonable? Surely you jest! He's such a happy-go-lucky guy! He's like a rainbow of marshmallows whenever you see him! It couldn't have been him that unpersonable.

Maybe the best part about this story is that the man who was charged with misdemeanor assault for the thrown punch said he didn't even know who Rondo was, that he's "not an NBA fan." So some random dude just threw a punch at some guy he felt disrespected him, and it turned out to be Rajon Rondo.

Small world.

Also, speaking of small, please tell me it was Nate Robinson that wrestled him to the ground. Please, please, please.

If you somehow missed it on Tuesday, Miami Heat All-Star forward LeBron James sent the media in two sports into a minor tizzy when he "innocently" inquired about the deadline for an NFL team to sign a free agent. That led to a back-and-forth with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who has already invited free agent guard Nate Robinson to his camp, in which player and coach joked about the NFL's rookie minimum salary.

On Wednesday, Carroll upped the ante by posting a customized Seahawks jersey with James' name on it to his Twitter account.

Carroll was known as a master recruiter during his days at the University of Southern California, and it's clear he's kept his skills sharp despite his transition to the NFL.

Judging by the choice of jersey number (No. 1), Carroll has James slotted in to play either quarterback, kicker or punter. Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst -- Seattle's two-headed monster of signal-calling ineffectiveness -- better prepare for some pressure on the depth chart.

Of course, the risk of injury, the fact that he has yet to win an NBA title and the nearly $100 million he has remaining on his contract with the Heat all conspire to prevent James making a detour to the NFL during the NBA lockout. But make no mistake, James could succeed playing professional football. His ideal position, most agree, would be tight end, where he could use his combination of height, size, speed, wingspan and athletic skills to greatest effect. Sure, he would have to re-learn how to take a hit, but something tells me if he was given a helmet and shoulder pads and played in a league where flopping was expressly discouraged, he would do alright. We're talking about, by far, the biggest athletic freak in a sport that is full of them. He can make the transition. He's a mismatch anywhere and everywhere.

As you probably guessed, the Seahawks are below .500, sitting at 2-3 in the pathetic NFC West. They've got nothing to lose with such a blatant, pointless publicity stunt. Perhaps this ends with Carroll sending James an autographed copy of his book, "Win Forever." The King just might learn something.

At the time, we noted that Robinson's football background, quickness and athleticism made this a somewhat viable possibility and not just crazy talk.

One person who is listening to Robinson: Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

In a Twitter exchange this week, Carroll invited Robinson, a Seattle native who briefly played cornerback for the University of Washington Huskies before dedicating himself solely to basketball, to the team's camp.

The Seattle Times notes that Carroll, then a coach at USC, actually recruited Robinson out of high school and left open the possiblity of an NFL career for Robinson.

Robinson said via Twitter that he was ready to show Carroll he still had some football skills. "Coach give me a chance and I'll prove it to u," he said.

Carroll said practice started at 1:30 p.m., and requested Robinson bring his cleats. Practice came and went without an appearance from Robinson.

"He may be a little distracted with basketball, I don't know," Carroll said afterward. "If he is, he probably won't be able to do it. But if he can get focused, there's always a chance."

Obviously the key factor here is the risk of injury. Transitioning from one professional sport to a much more violent professional sport carries with it a significantly greater chance of injury than swapping the NBA for an international league. Robinson is 27 years old and entering the last year of his contract so he's got a fair bit at stake financially over the next 12 months when it comes to future earnings potential.

Now that he's been practically begging for a look, though, Robinson owes it to Carroll and to his fans to show up and give camp a try. It would represent a public relations coup for the Seahawks, who can always use some good publicity, and we would all get a better sense for how possible -- or impossible -- Robinson's football dream would be to complete.

“If I can, I would love to play football a little bit,” says Robinson, less than half-jokingly. “I’ve been doing a little bit of training.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to have an NBA player that can play football try out? That’s a lot of publicity for your organization.”

While both leagues are currently in a lockout, the NFL is said to have been making progress in recent weeks while the NBA owners and players are not even at the negotiating table.

Robinson has a football background. As a freshman, he played cornerback for the University of Washington, intercepting two passes and making 34 tackles. His father, Jacque Robinson, was a star running back for the Huskies and went on to play one season in the NFL.

Does Robinson have a chance, or is this idle chatter? An NBA/NFL hybrid career is unprecedented in the modern era, made impossible because of their concurrent schedules. That said, elite athletes in the NBA are likely to be elite athletes in the NFL, given the similar demand for quickness, strength and agility. One would think the outside positions, wide receiver and cornerback, along with special teams would be the easiest places for a basketball-to-football transition to occur. And, at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, Robinson is in the right ballpark to play corner and clearly has superior leaping ability, evidenced by his three NBA Slam Dunk crowns.

Still, the injury risk in making this type of transition is astronomically higher than playing basketball overseas. Re-learning a new, more physical game is a much more difficult proposition for a professional athlete than playing the same game you've always played in a different environment. Anyone giving Robinson -- who is just 27 years old and entering the final year of his contract -- good, sound advice would tell him to let the football dreams die hard.

Although it's far-fetched, this is a tantalizing possibility to think about. For a good time, check out this highlight reel of Robinson starring on the gridiron during his high school days at Rainier Beach, uploaded to YouTube by user atlhawks3.